Hyacinth Bucket

Hyacinth Bucket is the main character in the successful BBC sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances (1990 to 1993 and again in 1995) played with great relish by Patricia Routledge.

Related Topics:
BBC - Keeping Up Appearances - 1990 - 1993 - 1995 - Patricia Routledge

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Hyacinth is a person whose main characteristics include outstanding snobbery and the idea of herself being better than others (particularly, her neighbours), as well as the irritating tendency to look down on others. Hyacinth behaves in the way she imagines aristocracy to behave, usually to a comical effect, especially given her - average, in fact - social status. Her main criterion by which she judges people, and the only thing that seems to impress her is wealth (and the subsequent social position). Hyacinth also shows herself off as being incomparably better than most people, including her own family, whom she is often ashamed of.

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A running joke in the series is her insistence that her last name be pronounced like 'bouquet'. This gag is amplified by Hyacinth's sisters, all of whom are also named after flowers? Violet, Rose and Daisy.

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Another gag in the series is that her phone number is constantly being confused with the local Chinese takeaway. She has become peeved to the point that she's enlisted the help of the Chinese ambassador, but to no avail.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Takeaway

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One of the most famous gags is Hyacinth receiving phone calls from her son Sheridan, who is off at university with his roommate Tarquin. It is implied by the subject matter of these phone calls that Sheridan is homosexual, but Hyacinth just sees him as "mummy's boy". Although she is not there with him, she dotes on him in the form of compliments, such as "How very thoughtful of you to ring mummy, dear." But Sheridan is mainly phoning to ask for money, as Hyacinth's husband Richard realises — "What does he want?" Richard has an idea that Sheridan is gay, but does not tell Hyacinth because, in all likelihood, she wouldn't listen to a word he was saying anyway.

Related Topics:
Homosexual - Richard

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